Vitamin found in palm oil said to accelerate wound healing

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- A Malaysian study has found that the vitamin derived from antioxidant-rich palm oil is more potent than other forms of vitamin E when used to accelerate healing of dermal wounds.

The discovery could make the ingredient a useful alternative in treating of skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis and acne.

Researchers at the Universiti Kebangsaan here conducted a series of tests in which equal amounts of vitamin E palm oil (PVE) extract and alpha-tocopherol, the most biologically active form of vitamin E, were applied to laboratory rats with skin wounds.

The results revealed that both PVE and alpha-toc were potent antioxidants and helped to reduce lipid peroxidation levels in the wounds. The researchers noted, however, that PVE clearly had a significantly greater wound-healing effect when compared with the rats treated with alpha-toc.